“I’m no stranger to the gutter campaign tactics and shady legal maneuverings of the Left Wing,” Steele said in the letter. “They don’t fight fair, and they’ll stop at nothing to consolidate the power they crave. This outrageous power grab by Al Franken and Harry Reid must not stand.”

The nail-biting election between Coleman and Franken for the Minnesota senate seat was forced into a recount, which ended with a slim 225-vote lead for Franken. Coleman took the recount to court in January, alleging that thousands of ballots were improperly rejected. The judges overseeing the trail said the ballots were not legally cast under Minnesota law.

In his letter, Steele called the continuing Senate battle in Minnesota “unfinished business” for the GOP, and urged Republicans to contribute to Coleman’s recount fund. He also criticized President Obama’s “outrageous, pork-laden stimulus package” and said with Coleman in office, it would have been more difficult to pass the legislation.

soundoff(72 Responses)

NEWSLINK

It is shameful to watch Steele act as if he's in control. Steele is nothing more than a scape goat. Brown nosing in Washington will not keep him there. The American People unfinish business is to get men like Steele at the Polls.....

March 3, 2009 03:21 pm at 3:21 pm |

cheryl brooks from cali

When Rush speaks you better listen Mr. Steele to yo' daddy.... Go in a corner somewhere and do your speaches as long as nobody is really listening to you... cause Big Daddy Rush is watching you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just remember you do have a way out, cause when you can't stand the heat get out the kitchen!!!!!! From the looks of it you've run out already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

March 3, 2009 03:22 pm at 3:22 pm |

redleg

Steele knows all about dirty politics, having practiced them as part of the Ehrlich administration. Ask him about forged endorsements and police spying on innocent groups. Never knew Animal Rescue was a violent terrorist group till Steele said so.

March 3, 2009 03:22 pm at 3:22 pm |

Mark

Geez, will somebody tell the Republicans to knock if off already with the spending criticism? For crying out loud, if it hadn't been for eight years of Bush running down the surplus and running up the deficit, we'd never have to talk about spending in the first place! Steele is an idiot, and reinforces Rahm's comment on how anything that is said to Rush in a bad way immediately becomes an issue of getting his apology.

March 3, 2009 03:23 pm at 3:23 pm |

big papa

April 2nd...

...Senator Al Franken will be sworn-in...

...Coleman is a nightmare from which the Minnesota voters...

...has awakened...

...Steele (like Rush and the rest of the Bush Republicans) is impotent...

March 3, 2009 03:26 pm at 3:26 pm |

Greg in MN

The RNC will do anything to keep this legal action going as long as possible. Not because they will win, but because it keeps the Dem's down one vote in the Senate.

Country First? I think not. Party first? Always for the RNC.

March 3, 2009 03:27 pm at 3:27 pm |

LIZ4

no matter what steele do at this point, everyone will remember the tail between the legs apology.

March 3, 2009 03:28 pm at 3:28 pm |

Chris in Saint Paul

It's amazing to me how much vitriol is in here, especially from people who don't even live in Minnesota. There's this strange and sad trend that we only seem to be able to listen to one side or the other, but not both. As a Democrat in Minnesota, I'd ask that you guys stop making all Democrats look like crazy, rabid hate-all-Republican-types.

That said, what angers me most about this entire drawn-out process is the patronizing and ridiculous attitude by those outside the State of Minnesota. Steele's email suggests we're some pathetic, ignorant state that's not capable of resolving this without help from the RNC. Democratic comments have a similar tone.

Thanks for all of your "help" and "advice," but we'll take care of it. Where's this money going to go, anyway? Coleman just rested his case – it's Franken's turn to present evidence.

March 3, 2009 03:29 pm at 3:29 pm |

Karen

The GOP looks more stupid every day.

March 3, 2009 03:30 pm at 3:30 pm |

TLS

This may be childish and immature of me to say...but who cares? Do any of you own a Nintendo Wii? He looks like one of the characters on the Wii game.....

March 3, 2009 03:31 pm at 3:31 pm |

Roony

stop trying to minimize Franken – he is smarter and more insightful than you can ever hope to be.

March 3, 2009 03:31 pm at 3:31 pm |

Julie

Boy, Steele manages to reinforce his incompetence on a daily basis now. Yikes!!

March 3, 2009 03:41 pm at 3:41 pm |

Mitch MD

Michael Steele needs to GROW UP AND BE A MAN!!! Did Rush Limbaugh give him the marching orders to do this? Pathetic....

March 3, 2009 03:44 pm at 3:44 pm |

Akfame

Steetle says this in the article “I’m no stranger to the gutter campaign tactics and shady legal maneuverings of the left-wing. It should have said the left- wing and right wing. We all know neither side is to be trusted. This guy has no balls at all after an apology to rush scumboy that was right on target the first time.

March 3, 2009 03:44 pm at 3:44 pm |

AKRON, OHIO

Mr. Steele

I think that it was shamful of you to take back your words which you spoke about Rush. What you said was true so why be afraid and make yourself look like a coward. Somebody needs to put Rush in his place. If you are going to be a lead act like one. Nooooobody wants a coward leader. Thats why I love Oboma hes no coward

March 3, 2009 03:48 pm at 3:48 pm |

Bring em home

How much you wanna bet Steele shows up with a box of ballots that "mysteriously were not counted". And how much would you bet 95% of the votes in that box are for Coleman. Sounds like a "power grab" to me when you refuse to admit your party lost and are willing to do anything to keep the winning party from taking office.

Why not just publish the scurrilous lies of this typical GOP fundraising letter in full?

The only person trying to change the rules midstream is Coleman, just as Duhbya and the Supreme Court changed the rules midstream in 2000.

March 3, 2009 03:54 pm at 3:54 pm |

P. Y.

Here we go again. Another Repug brought to his knees by Rush Limbaugh. Just in case some of you still wonder who is leading the Republican party, this should answer that question. Ha ! Ha! Ha!

March 3, 2009 04:16 pm at 4:16 pm |

Teddy

Michael Steele is a punk. He might as well be Rush’s woman. The fact that he and everyone who has said anything against Rush "drug addicted hypocrite" Limbaugh proves who is in charge. Rush Limbaugh is the leader of the Republican Party, he says jump and they say how high!!! The only one who has a pair is Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia!!!

March 3, 2009 04:52 pm at 4:52 pm |

deby

The GOP are a bunch of sore losers. Why don't you all grow up and join the United States of AMERICA and give up your desire for a single minded , GOP ruled kingdom run by right wing nut cases like Limbaugh? Not everyone in this country believes you are all seeing and all knowing. You all need TO LEARN HOW TO communicate with the world and stop running off at the mouth. And another thing, all you want is tax refund, tax refund. Well who's gonna pay for the streets you drive your car on or the people taking care of our Vets like me? You are all so crazy that you think it costs nothing to run a country. All you want is your illicit money and your all consuming belief that you MATTER. Well – YOU DON'T MATTER TO THE MAJORITY OF THIS COUNTRY SO GET OVER YOURSELVES. FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL. The GOP are nothing but a bunch of loud mouth, tax cheating, lie spreading war mongers who believes all the crazy hype from idiots like Ann Coulter. Really now, get a life.

March 3, 2009 04:55 pm at 4:55 pm |

John, Rochester MN

maria loredo March 3rd, 2009 1:30 pm ET

A Democrats dream. Make everyone worthless and dependent upon the government for votes. The government can’t spend enough on losers.

BECAUSE WHO WANTS TO INVEST WHILE MR. LIE EVERY TIME MY MOUTH IS MOVING IS THROWING TRILLIONS OF PORK AND EARMARKS AT PEOPLE!!! BOOOOOO OBAMA! GET OFF THE STAGE! YOUR JUST A LOUSY COMMUNITY ORGANIZER FROM ACORN!

maria loredo March 3rd, 2009 1:29 pm ET

obama PORK laden
His cabinet full filled with tax cheats ,Obama and the Democrats are spending us into failure. Failure of our financial instiutions, our retirements, our taxes(how else is he going to pay for all this) and runaway inflation. Anyone who can’t see this must be completely out of thier minds ( or are too stupid to realize it).
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Maria, do you even read the stories you post on before spewing your hate? Neither of these poorly-written, ill-informed posts has anything to do with Steele or the MN race.